Which road to traffic fixes?

By Warren Cornwall

Herald Writer

Snohomish County Council candidates agree on this much: Traffic is bad.

What should be done about it is a thornier matter.

Some want to regulate development and the traffic it brings more tightly. Others say new limits could actually worsen traffic by promoting sprawl.

Many say they support more transportation funding, but disagree over where to find the money.

Which direction the county goes depends partly on who voters elect to the county council on Nov. 6. Three seats are up for grabs.

In the coming four years, the council is likely to face several key decisions, including:

  • Whether to increase fees charged to new developments to pay for transportation infrastructure.

  • Whether to approve tax increases to pay for road projects, or pare back construction plans.

  • Whether to keep new regulations limiting housing density and monitoring development impacts on traffic.

    County roads are showing the strain of increased traffic. Since 1999, the county has imposed limits on new development around eight stretches of county road after congestion grew too severe.

    The county plans to spend $309 million between 2002 and 2007 on transportation projects. Whether the county can afford it is uncertain, said county public works director Peter Hahn.

    The county gets money for road projects from four main sources — gas taxes, property taxes, fees charged to new development and state and federal grants.

    Future plans rely on a steady 6 percent annual increase in the portion of the property tax dedicated to transportation. The council has backed the plan in recent years, and county executive Bob Drewel is seeking a similar increase in 2002, which translates into another $14.46 in 2002 for the owner of a $150,000 house.

    But the council could prove unwilling to support further increases in the future.

    Two Republican candidates, John Koster in the 1st District and Jeff Sax in the 5th District, have said they oppose the road tax increase in 2002. They cited concerns about the impact of property tax increases on people and a need for a closer look at where money is being spent.

    The other Republican candidate, Dave Schmidt in the 4th District, and the Democratic candidates, back the increase, saying it’s needed to deal with transportation problems.

    The financial picture could also be transformed by Initiative 747. The statewide measure on the November ballot would cap property tax increases at 1 percent a year unless voters approve a larger increase.

    If that happens, county officials say they will have $61 million less than expected to spend on transportation in the next six years. The council would have to accept a pared-back construction plan, go to the voters for a tax increase, or find some other source of money, Hahn said.

    Democratic council candidates look to fees on new development for some of that money. All three want the fees, which now average $1,700 per new home, increased for the first time in 10 years. They argue that it will make new development bear more of the cost of traffic problems brought about by growth.

    Republicans oppose that, saying the increase will result in higher housing costs. Developers include the fee in the price of the final product, they argue.

    Jeff Sax, Republican candidate in the 5th District, said the county should use the roughly $20 million in development fees it has already collected but not spent.

    Hahn said the dollars are already slated to pay for projects in the planning stages. For example, the county plans to spend $1.7 million in fees to help connect 132nd Street SE to Highway 9. That project is to begin next year. Candidates’ responses are also mixed over changes to development regulations that could affect transportation.

    The county council this year passed regulations requiring closer scrutiny of a proposed development’s traffic impacts. The council approved the ordinance, known as 26b, in a 5-0 vote.

    The housing industry initially opposed the measure, saying it would hurt the economy by restricting development in some areas. Industry representatives endorsed the final, revised plan, but suggested it still needed some tinkering.

    Growth-control advocates were more enthusiastic, saying it closed loopholes that allowed development near overcrowded roads.

    The council this year also limited how many homes could fit on an acre of land in a popular style of development.

    Supporters argued, in part, that infrastructure such as roads couldn’t cope with such dense housing.

    Democratic candidates all support those regulations.

    But all of the Republicans oppose them, arguing that the limits can increase home prices and promote sprawl.

    You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.

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